


Phoning It In

by Mars137



Category: Fall Out Boy, Mindless Self Indulgence (Band), My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, The Used
Genre: Anxiety, Character Death, Depression, Frank Iero Is A Sweetheart, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I'm Sorry, Mild Gore, Multi, No Smut, Other, Sad Gerard Way, Supernatural Elements, Underage Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars137/pseuds/Mars137
Summary: Gerard grew up around death and misfortune, upon the death of his oldest brother the way family struggles to walk on already wobbly legs. Donald desperately holds onto the fraying strings of his children's trust but with his youngest son's delusions of his long lost Ricky will he even bother holding onto those strings anymore?
Relationships: Alicia Simmons/Mikey Way, Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, readers! Welcome to my newest brainchild, I know you just want to jump into this sad fest but I just wanted to clarify a few base things. Because of the context of this story there will be no sex but that is to be expected of my works because smut isn't my type of thing. Gerard is a 9 and Mikey is 15 about to turn 16, their older brother Ricky was 19 and about to move out. The updates on all my stories will be inconsistent but I'll try, my mental state is strange as most of the population with quarantine.

The Way Family was composed of four members, Donald:A widower of about nine years who can't bring himself to start dating again, Ricky: The oldest son who is about to start his collage career, Mikey: The calm middle child, and last but not least Gerard:The artistic youngest child about to start fourth grade.

"Quit staring at me,loser." Ricky growled, the anger of losing the match of Rock,Paper,Scissors that landed him in the back still fresh in his mind.

"Ricky, leave him alone." Donald sighed,frustation everpresent in his tone. Ricky rolled his eyes in responce and silence fell over the car. 

"Does anyone want to stop at Mcdonald's?" The golden arches of the logo shone bright in the now darkened parking lot. 

Gerard softly raised his hand, "I do, Daddy." Gerard's tummy always felt funky on long car rides, he just wanted a break. Mikey nodded his head in agreement,smiling at Gerard from the rearview mirror.

Donald turned onto the ramp and parked as close to the door as possible. Mikey and Ricky stretched by the car as Donald unbuckled Gerard and picked him up, putting him down and grabbing his hand once Gerard started whining about being big enough to walk. 

The family made their way inside, ordering a few smaller items for a snack. Mikey ordered a happy meal and gave Gerard the sprite and toy.

The Ways sat by the window and ate, Gerard quietly playing with his new toy as the older boys talked about Ricky's collage choices,sports,and a large assortment of other things Gerard couldn't care less about.

"Come on, lil guy. This is the last potty stop." Donald led Gerard to the bathroom, placing him in front of a stall and walking to the next vacant one. Gerard quicky did his business and rushed out of the stall. Gerard always had a fear of automatic toliets, he was scared of the loud noise and thought it would suck him in.

All the boys piled back into the car and left the parking lot, all conversation put on pause. 

Gerard reached for his watercolor sketch book: a recent christmas gift from his Nana. The sketchbook had a butterfly resting on a lilly on the background,the soft pastels complimenting the creme of the background.

Ricky snatched the sketchbook from it's spot, Gerard started to cry as Ricky threatened to toss it out the window. 

"Ricky,stop it right now!" Donald glared through the rear view mirror. "He started it!" Ricky smirked at Gerard one last time, chucking the beloved sketchbook out the window. 

Gerard screamed highly,now sobbing at the loss of his art, Nana was gonna be so mad. "Gerard what happened? Ricky what did you do, WHAT DID YOU DO?" Donald completly turned around in his seat, trying to decipher one sob from the next. 

"Dad! DAD!" Mikey screamed, "TRUCK!" Donald swerved to the right in attempt to move out of the way but it was too late, the semi rammed into the smaller car on the driver's side.

Gerard's head whipped to the side, tears riveting down his face at record speed as the pain of whipflash settled in. Donald's head was resting against the horn, the loud beep filling the air as Mikey fought his seatbelt. Gerard hugged himself as he looked around the interior of the vehicle. The metallic smell of blood filled his nostrils as he turned towards his oldest brother, "Ricky?" 

Ricky was worse for wear, Gerard gagged violently at the sight. "I can see his b-brain." He babbled through sobs. "Don't look at him, buddy. Look at me." Mikey coughed, carefully turning in his seat. "Don't take your eyes off me."

The boys waited for an hour until emergency services arrived, Donald finally came to as a firefighter lightly pulled Gerard out of his carseat.

The boy weasled his way into the Fireman's jacket, struggling to stay warm as the rest of his family was removed and assisted. The man shielded Gerard's face as they removed Ricky, quickly placing him onto a streatcher then adding the all too familar white sheet over him.

Ricky was airlifted to the nearest hospital, the rest of the family following suit in an ambulance. The staff's faces all held a grim expression,"He was DOA." A young nurse told Donald, resting her hand on the trembling man's shoulder. "I'm sorry." 

"W-what does DOA mean,D-Daddy?" tears gathered at Donald's waterline. "Ricky isn't coming home with us,baby. H-He's gone." Donald hugged his sons, afraid of losing them too.

The Family spent the night at the hospital, Gerard clinging onto his father with one arm and his bunny stuffie: Vivian in the other. Nana arrived in the morning and drove them home, offering whatever she could to help before leaving them to mourn.

Gerard carefully lied in his bed, too tired to ask anyone to check for monsters, 'That's Ricky's job.' His eyes slowly closed,

'Maybe tomorrow will be better.'


	2. Chapter 2

"I know you're confused Frankie,but Gee really needs a friend right now." Frank looked up at his mother, watching the last pancake in the stack be placed on his plate.

"What happened,Mama? Why is he all cut up?" Frank was playing in the front yard when the Way family came back from the hospital, he noted the absence of Ricky and the cuts and bruises but what is he supposed to do? Guess?

"I think it would be better if Gee told you." The happy twinkle of the doorbell flooded through the room but it couldn't remove the sense of dread stirring in his tummy.

Linda quickly opened the door, watching with a sad gaze as the Ways filed in. The loving aura the family usually carried was gone,replaced by a quiet fear that Frank couldn't help but despise.

"You and Frankie can go play upstairs." Linda lightly smoothed down Gerard's bangs, Gerard's usually prim and proper pigtails were messy and full of fly aways. Linda smiled as Gerard lightly leaned into her touch.

"Okay." Gerard mumbled, stepping up to Frank as Donald,Mikey,and Linda went into the living room. "Do you wanna play cowboys?" "No thank you." Gerard followed him up the stairs and into Frank's room.

Gerard looked so different from his usual self if he was told Gerard was cloned and replaced he wouldn't doubt it. Gerard had a large cut spanning from his right temple to his chin, other smaller cuts spanned his face,neck and arms. Some of the cuts were closed with thick,black stitches that Frank thought made him look like Frankenstein's Monster...he wouldn't tell him that but the thought was still there.

"Um....what happened?" Frank hated to pry or seem insensitive but he didn't know how to bring it up, fear settled in his throat when Gerard's eyes glazed over.

"W-When we were comin' home from Ricky's collage tour a truck hit us," Tears beaded up at the corner of Gerard's eyes, Frank carefully swiped them away when they started to fall. "Ricky passed..." 

"Oh..." Frank held Gerard when soft tears transformed into thick sobs. Frank didn't know that for years after this accident Gerard would still have nightmares or that Gerard would still be in therapy for it for the rest of his life, but I believe that should remain between you and me in the mean time.

Gerard calmed after a while of soft petting and hugs, "Do you want a drink?" 

"Okay..." Frank snuck to the kitchen, careful to avoid the 'Grown-up talk' from the living room. He carefully nudged his step stool to the little rack of mugs Linda and his father collect from every trip the family has every taken. Frank went up on tip-toes and grabbed the Minnie Mouse mug Linda got at Disney when he was a baby. 

Frank filled the mug and held it close to his body as he went up the stairs. "Here you go." Gerard gripped the mug with both hands and drank, taking big breaths inbetween gulps. "Slow down please, my mama said drinking that fast can hurt your tummy." Gerard lowered the mug, putting it down on Frank's nightstand.

"Thank you." 

"No problem, wanna watch something?"

"Sure,maybe Teen Titans is still on." Frank smiled lightly, now this was his Gerard.

The boys curled up on the floor in a pile of blankets and pillows and watched Teen Titans, the silence holding a form of security for the adolescents.

Gerard tried to ignore the feeling of his eyelids starting to weigh themself down,drowsiness making all his thoughts filter through a large wall of static. Frank had an arm around gerard,the warmth and the firm feeling of security helped him fully drift into unconsiousness.

'Maybe it'll get better.'


End file.
